Auction house: bumping rule.

Since we are talking DPF auction house, lets talk about this rule.... The topic has been brought up in the "bidding for others" thread, and i know for sure that several people have had temp bans and infractions for excessive bumps on the auctions.. Much to their dismay.

The rule below is also a link to auction house rules.

• Please limit bumps to one per day, or a bump may not be needed if the thread is active with offers/inquiries/leaderboards.

To me, this rule implies that if you have had activity on your auction within the last 24 hours, you should not "bump" your thread. I know that folks bump their auctions every day regardless of recent bid activity. So, what is "activity?" What counts or does not count? When can an auctioneer be reprimanded for excessive bumping and what counts as excessive bumps?

I would really love it if a MOD chimes in with clarification on this as well.

1. Does a bid from someone in the last 24 hours count as activity and thus prevent the auctioneer from bumping?
2. Should comments and posts on the auctions be limited to bids, only to reduce the amount of "frivolous" bumps?
3. Does a "friend" bumping the auction for you count as your bump/activity for the day?
4. Does a post such as "bump" make you, the bidder think the pin might not be popular and less likely to bid?
5. When does it become "excessive" and warrant infractions or temp ban's????

Thoughts, opinions, snide remarks? :naughty:

1. yes, a bid counts as activity, but the rule doesnt say that a bump cannot occur if there has been activity, it simply says it may not be needed, which in my mind, leaves it up to the OP to decide if they wish to bump or not.

2. I like chatter in the threads.

4. & 5. I see some auctions where the OP bumps within 2 or 3 hours of their last bump, and it always makes me think their pins arent very good. I think if OP is posting comments but not actually saying "bump" its still the same; we aren't stupid and we know the extra comments are bumps, too. I dont think I am less likely to bid, but I am more likely to be cautious in my bid. After all, unless its for my collection, if no one else wants it, then it might not be a good trading pin.

3. since you cant control your friends, I dont think their bumping should count, but if people are abusing that, then maybe you should only be able to bump for someone else once during an auction or something.

My first auction didn't go great. Probably wouldn't risk auctioning a higher value pin. Yep it's a risk. I probably 'bumped' too much but meh.... I wanted a bid :facepalm:

my first auction was for a high value pin, and the results were awesome. I think that higher value pins are more exciting for people, and mostly seem to get good results for the auctioneer.

also, like I said in your auction thread, Jazzy B Bunny, you are across the pond, so while I did want your pin, I couldn't swing the postage right now. I cant be the only one in that situation. also, someone recently had that same jewel heart series but it was Rapunzel up for auction, and I dont think it did very well, either. so maybe its a combo of that.

1. Does a bid from someone in the last 24 hours count as activity and thus prevent the auctioneer from bumping?
Yes.

2. Should comments and posts on the auctions be limited to bids, only to reduce the amount of "frivolous" bumps?

Comments should be limited to bids or reminders to bid. I don't need to see someone say "ooh, nice pin" or "hope you get great bids" in an auction.

3. Does a "friend" bumping the auction for you count as your bump/activity for the day?

No, since it's not the auctioneer doing the bumping.

4. Does a post such as "bump" make you, the bidder think the pin might not be popular and less likely to bid?

No, it makes me think someone has forgotten about the auction, which happens quite a bit.

5. When does it become "excessive" and warrant infractions or temp ban's????

​Whenever the mods think it's excessive. It doesn't matter what we think, it's what the mods think.

1. Does a bid from someone in the last 24 hours count as activity and thus prevent the auctioneer from bumping?

The rule surely implies that if the thread has had ANY new activity within the past 24 hours, it should not be bumped. However, a lack of clarity arises when you attempt to determine what constitutes a bump. Clearly, random statements, or the word "bump" meet the unclear and presumably low threshold, but is a new leader board a bump? What if the leader board did not change, but a duty to relay positioning after a new bid remains?

As both an auctioneer and a bidder, I like the updated leader boards. I feel that an auctioneer owes the duty to the bidders to inform them how their bid ranks among the competition. The duty is enhanced when you consider that these auctions aren't in one spot, at one time, with everyone simultaneously present. You never know when the person bidding will have the opportunity to check the post again. (Surely, it enhances your opportunity to obtain more/better pins).

In my last auction, I received an infraction because in a span of 3 hours or so, my pin received somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 bids. It was the last day of the auction, so I attempted to update the leader board because if I'm the bidder, I like to know where I stand. I would absolutely hate to lose out on a pin that I'm willing to bid more for simply because of lack of notice paired with my subjective belief that I would be in first place. Using my judgment, I felt it was in the best interest of those interested in the pin to know where they stood among other bids as end time approached.

2. Should comments and posts on the auctions be limited to bids, only to reduce the amount of "frivolous" bumps?

Comments should be limited to bids and leader boards.

3. Does a "friend" bumping the auction for you count as your bump/activity for the day?

I sure hope not! If my auction is receiving little attention, I try to use my bumps strategically. Further, isn't it the auctioneers right to bump IF the auction isn't active?? It would be unfair for an auctioneer to have their right restrained as a result of a 3rd partys' action, practically out of the auctioneer's control.

4. Does a post such as "bump" make you, the bidder think the pin might not be popular and less likely to bid?

I don't think so. I look at multiple things (location of the auctioneer to determine if my bid + postage is worth it, my interest in the pin, other traders' interest in the pin, what I would have to trade to obtain it, etc.) when I decide to bid on a pin, the last of which is whether the person is over-bumping their thread. It may show desperation if the pin isn't receiving any action, but if it is, then it even goes by unnoticed.

5. When does it become "excessive" and warrant infractions or temp ban's????

I'll be 100% honest. Outside of rude, disrespectful or offensive remarks targeted at a specific person or group of individuals, there is little reason I can think of that would merit infractions or bans.

This is a forum dedicated to a hobby that we all enjoy, perhaps at different levels. However, when we decide to join this forum, we do so for a couple of common reasons: a) to learn, relate, and grow our enjoyment and appreciation of the hobby, b) as another outlet to valuable information and trade options.

When we join this forum, however, we all do so optionally. We all sign up without necessity. We all review whichever posts we seek to review at our discretion. We all decide whether to bid on our own. The point is, each individual person is at liberty to stay away if they do not like something. No argument is needed, or remarks required. I don't think a hobby forum is the place to have a set of moderators become excessive or even abusive with their powers (not saying that they have, or that they will).

To end, I will say this:

I don't remember who was involved, but not so long ago, someone auctioned a great pin that received one bid, and was buried thereafter. The bid was not to par with the auctioned pin, and obviously, conflict arose. When this happened, many people, including moderators stated that the auction had to be honored (I agree) and that it was the auctioneer's fault for failing to promote visibility on their thread (I agree). However, contradicting policy is applied and enforced with the above rule (purpose of thread). Is there a balanced approach? Probably! Is this something that should be policed one way or another? Probably not.

Note, all the follow are my own opinion. Obviously, I'm not a mod, nor am I very experienced in the auction house.


1. Unless they ever clarify the rule to say you CAN'T bump if there's been activity, instead of saying "it may not be needed", people are gonna do it. And if everyone else is doing it and you're not, you get to watch your auction zoom down the front page. So, like I said, unless they firm up the rule, it might as well read "you may only bump your auction once per day".

2. i think frivolous stuff is fine, as long as it's not the auctioneer doing it. It's always nice to get wished "good luck" or have someone say your pin is nice. But the auctioneer should only be responding to direct questions and bids, as much as possible

3. Like someone said, you can't control your friends, so I don't think it should count. I, at least (and I imagine other people do too), carefully choose WHEN I want to use my daily bump, to maximize its effectiveness. So it would be unfair to the auctioneer to take that tool away just because someone else chose to bump the thread.

4. Only if that's all that seems to be on the auction. When there's 4 or 5 bumps in a row, it makes me think twice. It won't necessarily discourage me from bidding, but I'll definitely think that the pin is less popular

5. Well, the rule is pretty clear that you shouldn't bump more than once a day. An exception might be made for notifying people on how long is left in the auction during the last day (although sometimes people can get excessive with that too...). other than that, the date should be different on each bump by the auctioneer.

and I DO think there needs to be some regulation on this. If someone is bumping their thread every few hours, of course it's gonna be on top and get more views. Everyone should be held to the same rule of once a day. After that, it's up to the quality of your pin.

Sorry if this doesn't deal with the five posted questions, but I've always been really curious about the reason for the "reminder to bid" posts. Does DPF have a program written to remind you to bid if you say that? Is it to let the auctioneer know that bids will be coming later? I've always wondered about those "reminder to bid" posts, so any clarification would be appreciated.

unibear said:

Sorry if this doesn't deal with the five posted questions, but I've always been really curious about the reason for the "reminder to bid" posts. Does DPF have a program written to remind you to bid if you say that? Is it to let the auctioneer know that bids will be coming later? I've always wondered about those "reminder to bid" posts, so any clarification would be appreciated.

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Ever notice how the symbol for a thread has a green arrow on it sometimes? That shows you that it's a thread you have previously posted in. That's why people make those posts, so they'll see the green mark and know it's an auction they're wanting to pay attention to. Helps you sort though the auction threads easier

unibear said:

Sorry if this doesn't deal with the five posted questions, but I've always been really curious about the reason for the "reminder to bid" posts. Does DPF have a program written to remind you to bid if you say that? Is it to let the auctioneer know that bids will be coming later? I've always wondered about those "reminder to bid" posts, so any clarification would be appreciated.

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I think people do that because when you comment on a thread, you get a little green arrow next to the thread title on the envelope symbol. It stands out and makes it easier to track which auctions you're bidding (or commenting) on as opposed to the ones you're just watching.

I do NOT think you should get an infraction if you've bumped your thread during the day and then post a leader board! In my opinion, it's two totally different things!

And that's my .02 :soapbox: (Not that I've ever held an auction...but I think that would be ridiculous!)

Nettijeane, i agree with you there. I see no problem with bumping once a day and still posting a leader-board after several bids.

Imma bite the bullet here and tell everyone my real true unadulterated opinion regarding bumps and auctions....

• Folks can comment, kibitz and reply to an auction as often as they wish. Higher rates of comments and more views means a better chance of the pin getting a good bid. The auctioneer should limit their replies to nessisary stuff like answering questions, and posting leaderboards.
• A bump should not be needed on an active auction. Active auctions get a bids regularly. if your auction got a bid 3 hours ago, unless your on page 2 already, don't bump it. chances are it will get another bid soon, and after 2-3 new bids a new leaderboard is a good idea... And not an un-nessisary bump.
• A leaderboard should not count as a bump for the day, however abusing that by posting a leaderboard after every single bid is kind of rude to the other auctioneers. KWIM?
• An auctioneer who "bumps" their thread with random comments such as "Hey dont you want this pin?" or "no love for my pin?" etc... every 2 hours, is out of line with their bumping and should be warned to stop. It is detrimental to the rest of the auctions running and I honestly find it rude.
• How rude??? Well, if you were following the basic bump rules, and had waited until a peak time to bump your auction with a new leaderboard, only to find that someone who bumped their auction 2 hours earlier has suddenly bumped both their auctions AGAIN and knocked you down a few spots you would be frustrated wouldn't you? Especially if this was the 3rd time they did it to you, or multiple people did it. Legit bumps are cool. excessive bumps are not.
• There are in general, 30+ active auctions at any given time. It really sucks to see the same 5 auctions at the top of page one over and over all day because the auctioneer's have posted a leaderboard 4x and "bumped" with un-nessisary comments 3x as well. I am sorry, but that IRKS me.
• It does NOT irk me when someone bumps their auction because there has been no activity all day. I don't blame them, it needs some attention.
• I randomly replied to a tonn of other auctions one time... just to push an auction that has been "bumped" 7x in one day to the bottom. Is that rude of me? yeah.... But you know what???? The auctioneer was rude to everyone else by bumping their auction any time it got below position 5 on the auction house home page too. I only did that once, and i only replied to the auctions that had been pushed to page 2. And they really had just been bumping... literally, half the replies the OP made in that day said "bump".... Oi.

So yeah, i think excessive bumping should be monitored, infractions given, and temp bans enforced when people don't listen and keep doing it. Over bumping effects all the other auctions that are active. I think the rule needs some clarification and adjustment.

When you are bumping over and over in one day stop and think... What about the other auctioneers? Is this rude to them? Would i be upset if i was them? If the answer is yes... Then wait a little while and see if your auction gets a bid or comment without your "help."

**Climbs down off soap box.**

edit:: I do totally understand a regular leaderboard near the end (like last 2 hours?) of an auction more often...

I agree with the infractions for excessive bumping, and I have even recieved one. I feel as though it is really easy to get too excited and not actually realize you are bumping way to much. I just wish I was given an informal warning(a comment in the thread) to tell me to tone it down, such as previous members have been given in the same situation. That is however just my 2 cents.

Oniera and Vackra, thanks for the explanation. Kind of obvious in retrospect, but I didn't see it. Now I won't be "mad" at those people for a pointless post, because now I understand the point!

Lizard1515 said:

I agree with the infractions for excessive bumping, and I have even recieved one. I feel as though it is really easy to get too excited and not actually realize you are bumping way to much. I just wish I was given an informal warning(a comment in the thread) to tell me to tone it down, such as previous members have been given in the same situation. That is however just my 2 cents.

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The only problem with a comment from a mod on your auction about not bumping... bumps the thread. lol

1. Does a bid from someone in the last 24 hours count as activity and thus prevent the auctioneer from bumping?
2. Should comments and posts on the auctions be limited to bids, only to reduce the amount of "frivolous" bumps?
3. Does a "friend" bumping the auction for you count as your bump/activity for the day?
4. Does a post such as "bump" make you, the bidder think the pin might not be popular and less likely to bid?
5. When does it become "excessive" and warrant infractions or temp ban's????

the following is my understanding and perception of the rules as ALREADY ESTABLISHED, not what we may want them to be, and the questions above, the following view in no way reflects the owners sentiments or opinions on these matters and as is always the case in a private site, The owners opinions and rules are the LAW.

1< A bid does not prevent an auctioneer from bumping.<24 hours or same calendar day>

2< Please for the love of god almighty, yes comments should not be made after every bid by the OP, likewise posting a leaderboard after every bid, If the actual leader does not change, or top three, posting repeatedly "no change" or leaderboard is ....blah blah blah,, by shuffling positiions 123, are usually viewed as "bumps"

3<no a free bump by friend , ally or any other member is just that, a free bump....

4<a post that simply says bump to me says,,,,," ummm I got nothing,,,"

5<Excessive in my account is usually 3 bumps or soft bumps<soft bumps are posting commentary like"oh I like this on your trades", if you must pull the bids from the bidders it makes you as a auctioneer look desperate<again my Own opinion not the sites/> At 3 it will usually warrant an infraction, if you are a habitual offender<and we do have a few> that may be reduced to 2 as I am certain you know the rules and are flagrently flaunting them or do not care, in either case, infraction<S> are headed your way.. Temp bans are only given out after an accumulation of 4 points in a specified period,

Please see the following Infractions rules thread
http://disneypinforum.com/showthread.php?16482-An-Introduction-to-the-DPF-Infraction-System


As a few final notes to all that use the forum, a reminder.... like the cop that may stop you for the "excessive speed" on the 5, we the moderators are here to help and to enforce the rules, if you are a newer member or one whom is new to that forum<auction, sales> the odds of you recieving a "warning" vs an infraction are higher than normal, if you are a seasoned vet of the forum, you are expected to know and follow the rules and may not be granted that "grace".

However if post are reported, almost always some form of action is taken, we take seriously the time for you to report a post, if its important enough to put down, we check it out, likewise if its reported and acurate<we do check all, and converse with each other about almost every case, another reason it sometimes takes a while to see the actions>, action is often the result,,,

Contrary to popular belief we do not make the rules, we enforce what is in print, if you are honest about a mistake and take the infraction with a grain of salt<it is only one out of four and if an honest mistake , and not repeated within a few months the point goes away,> If you behave poorly than just like the cop on i5, you gain our attention and we double check to make sure you are still following the rules...

LET ME SAY THIS LOUDLY JUST ONCE
ONLY THE PAGE OWNER AND THE DPF STAFF CAN SEE THE INDIVIDUAL INFRACTION NOTICES ON THAT PAGE OF YOUR HOMEPAGE.
So no one else in the community will know if you do or do not have infractions or when they expire, We are not trying to embarass or alienate anyone.

We ask that you follow the spirit of the rules as well as the letter, lets face we all know what they are meant to be, they are not perfect as is nothing else, however
they are what we all are trying to follow......

Besides if the rules get rewritten, this is a private site run the way the owners wish, who is to say that the newer rules wont be more restrictive, if you insist that things are changed, can you complain if the change makes you even less happy, after all you wished apon a star,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Please ?

chroll said:

also, someone recently had that same jewel heart series but it was Rapunzel up for auction, and I dont think it did very well, either. so maybe its a combo of that.

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That was me, and yes, I didn't get very many bids. It just wasn't a very rare pin, and a lot of the Tangled collectors already have it-- and at least one who didn't have it and wanted it told me they unfortunately had nothing they could bid. :/

It doesn't put me off auctions. When I auctioned off the DSF Brave three bears set, I got AMAZING bids. It isn't the number of bumps that get you bids; it's how many people want the pin and have something they can bid for it.

Thank you Lucan!!!

also, vixy, your reply: "It isn't the number of bumps that get you bids; it's how many people want the pin and have something they can bid for it."

Spot on. And partly why people bumping over and over drives me to distraction. lol

bumping for a new auctioneer to read

A question, are you allowed to post a few time the last day? With reminder like 5 hours left, 2 hours left, 10 minutes?

I guess not because that is kind of bumping, but a lot of people seems to do it and it seems to be ok? I dont want to do anything wrong so Im asking here and hope that someone can answer.

Snoffsan said:

A question, are you allowed to post a few time the last day? With reminder like 5 hours left, 2 hours left, 10 minutes?

I guess not because that is kind of bumping, but a lot of people seems to do it and it seems to be ok? I dont want to do anything wrong so Im asking here and hope that someone can answer.

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I think in the case of the last few hours the MODs have been a bit more forgiving. I think it has to do with how you are doing it too. They may be less forgiving of someone who bumps every hour for the last 5 hours, as opposed to someone who bumps or reminds folks 2x in the last 5 hours.... kind of a case of "Moderation," and respect for your fellow auctioneers...

Also when a leaderboard does change dramatically more than once in a day seems to be fine.

ohmygosh, it drives me batty when people do an hour countdown. it REALLY makes it look like there's no interest if you have to bump every hour at the end. I think lots of leaderboards at the end when new bids have been added are good, even if there's no change, because then you know how effective your bid is and if the OP even saw it. but no action at the end? then just dont bump if you have already done so.

Just an note, because I don't want anyone thinking I am poking or picking on anyone....

I know that sometimes, an auctioneer is very excited about the end of their auction. It shows in the hourly bumps, or the no change replies after every bid placed. You can tell the person is sitting there, refreshing the page, wondering if they will have a new bid posted or not.

It is exciting, especially for the first few auctions you run, or if it is a nice higher end pin. I love running auctions, I am a DPF auctionhouse addict. We just have to restrain ourselves a bit and follow the rules that were put in place to maintain a fair atmosphere.

honestly, so many people do it, I dont think anyone would be offended, because it's practically SOP!